Four-time Pro Bowler could reprise unusual role with Steelers

Cordarrelle Patterson is set to play with his sixth team this fall after signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in late March.

Patterson spent the last three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and for the first time in 2023, served in a new, hybrid role on the field, known as the team's " joker ." It sounds like the 33-year-old could be ready to reprise his role as the "joker" during his first season in the AFC North.

"Running back, kick returner, tackle, tight end ... I can do it all. Whatever they need me to do," Patterson said recently, according to a report by Mark Kaboly of The Athletic.

The four-time Pro Bowl, four-time first-team All-Pro return specialist was one of a number of former Atlanta Falcons players brought in by the Steelers this offseason. The signings came after Pittsburgh hired former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith to serve as its new offensive coordinator, which should increase the chances of Patterson working in the hybrid role.

The long-time Swiss Army knife was a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro as a rookie with the Minnesota Vikings in 2013 and then again in his final season with the Vikings in 2016. Patterson went on to play one year with the then-Oakland Raiders before winning a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots at the end of the 2018 campaign.

The former No. 29 overall pick then made two more Pro Bowls while earning his other first-team All-Pro honors in 2019 and 2020 with the Chicago Bears before joining Atlanta in Smith's first year at the helm. In just 13 games in 2022, Patterson averaged 31.6 yards on nine kick returns and added 817 yards from scrimmage (695 on the ground) along with eight rushing scores.

Patterson logged career lows in kick returns (seven), kickoff return yards (153), yards per kick return (21.9) and all-purpose yards (372) in 2023.

For his career, the speedy veteran has averaged 29.3 yards per kick return on 273 attempts. He also set the NFL record for most career kick return touchdowns in 2022 when he brought back his ninth return for a score on a 103-yarder.